1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to a simulator development system and a simulator development method which automatically generates a simulator for each of various types of semiconductor circuits.
2. Description of the Related Art
In developing micro processors (MPUs: Micro Processing Units), various types of the micro processors were developed by modifying Input/Output (I/O) parts and combining the I/O parts while maintaining the same control part for controlling the entire process. Each of the micro processors was verified by using an I/O simulator.
On the other hand, it is required to develop the I/O simulator based on a hardware specification of the developed micro processor. The I/O simulator is developed by a software tool developer who has technical knowledge so that I/O parts of the developed type of the micro processor are developed by using an object oriented language.
Japanese Laid-open Patent Application No. 2002-354039 discloses to automatically generate a test bench by making models as objects of the object oriented language based on text data created from a specification in order to reduce workload of a simulator developer.
Conventionally, as shown in FIG. 1, when developing an Large Scale Integration (LSI) 2b, an LSI hardware developer 2 generally creates an LSI specification 2a for a user 4 who uses the developed LSI 2b. The LSI specification 2a may be a manual document.
A software tool developer 3 provides the user 4 an I/O simulator engine 4a for simulating the LSI 2b to allow the user 4 develop a user program 4b using the LSI 2b, before the LSI 2b is completely developed. In order to provide the I/O simulator engine 4a, the software tool developer 3 creates I/O related data 3a which defines parameter data such as initial values of I/O registers, and develops a program of an I/O behavior simulator 3b for simulating a behavior of the developed LSI 2b, based on the LSI specification 2a. Then, the software tool developer 3 creates the I/O simulator engine 4a by using the I/O related data 3a and the I/O behavior simulator 3b, and provides the I/O simulator engine 4a to the user 4.
Instead of waiting until the LSI 2b is completed, the user 4 can develop and verify a user program 4b being original by using the I/O simulator engine 4a provided from the software tool developer 3.
However, even if there is no change for the control part for controlling the entire process of the micro processor, various types of LSIs 2b have been developed by modifying the I/O parts or/and combining some I/O parts. Accordingly, the software tool developer 3 is required to create the I/O related data 3a, the I/O behavior simulator 3b, and the I/O simulator engine 4a, and a workload of the software tool developer 3 has increased.
In addition, since the LSI specification 2a is a document created by the LSI hardware developer 2, there is a problem in that a development of the software tool developer 3 is delayed due to human errors such as missing descriptions and typographical errors in the LSI specification 2a and the I/O simulator engine 4a devoted to the LSI 2b being completed cannot be provided timely to the user 4. Moreover, if the software tool developer 3 begins to develop the I/O behavior simulator 3b and a completion time of the I/O behavior simulator 3a is delayed, the user 4 begins to verify the user program 4b by using the completed LSI 2b without using the I/O simulator engine 4a which is based on the I/O behavior simulator 3b. Thus, there is a problem that the I/O simulator engine 4a is not effectively used by the user program 4b. 